Parent Follow-up – Case 3

I am following up with further comments about the progress we have seen since my previous post. Awe, amazing, a miracle…these words come to mind when I think of our daughter Aly. She is 15, and is in a metamorphosis of sorts. We have always known that inside Aly was a kind hearted person. We’ve known that under the skull t-shirts, black clothing, “I dare you to comment” exterior- there was a sweet girl lurking. We allowed a certain amount of self expression, partly because when you are dealing with bipolar you need to pick your battles! As long as it was not obscene or offensive, it was ok. Imagine our surprise when just 3 months after Ketamine entered our lives, we watch in AWE as Aly came down stairs in a navy and white striped top, with a white shirt on top! Her make-up was no longer dark purple and black, but light and fun. We honestly were unsure whether to comment for fear she would run back up stairs and change! This trend continues…color, neon, stripes…the only skulls to be found now have bright bows on their heads! Her nails- formerly black are now lime green! Who is this child? She is the one we knew was lurking, and now she can shine due to Ketamine.

Other changes, you ask? Well we had accepted that swearing was a better option than violence. So although we tried to dilute it, there were often one sided swearing, screaming matches in our home. Now suddenly the strongest language Aly seems to use, is “doorknob” and affectionate tem she uses when she feels someone is doing something stupid! She also now has a sense of humor…not the mean laugh at you because she has hurt your feeling humor…but the “Laugh ’til it hurts” kind of humor! She makes witty remarks, is learning the joy of funny sarcasm, and just laughs, smiles and participates in life in a way that calls people to her. She no longer wears an invisible sign that shouted “Stay away!” She now returns calls, makes arrangements to see friends, reaches out when people around her are sad…the list goes on…

The primary purpose of a consultation is a comprehensive assessment of the past and current course of illness and detailed history of treatments that would enable the development of a more effective treatment plan.